Surface-mount technology is a design concept and layout that permits any type of fluid control component, such as a valve, filter, regulator, etc., to be surface-mounted or affixed to an underlying substrate in any desired combination. The substrate provides connections to other fluid control components, with the interface geometry for surface-mounting the fluid control components being in compliance with ISA specification SP-76 which will be described in more detail later.
Current state of the art technology substrate products generally utilize either welded or bolted connections to contiguous substrates. The welded systems, such as the one set forth in published European Patent Application EP 1 291 636 A2, have the disadvantage of being unable to disassemble the unitary substrate system in order to reconfigure the surface-mounted system or for maintenance of the substrate components. Bolted systems require a second layer or plane of substrates below the first layer, that provides the attachment for the fluid control components in order to change the direction of the flow of the fluid medium from the linear to another direction.
Some current designs of prior art technology are based upon maintaining fluid medium flow in but one direction N-S (North to South), for example, within the same plane and within the same substrate. In order to change directions, e.g., E-W (East to West), this requires a plane change, with this plane change not taking place within the same substrate. In terms of function, a fluid medium flows downward to a second plane, below the substrate plane; flows E-W, or N-S as the case may be, to a contiguous substrate; and then flows back up into the contiguous substrate located on the substrate plane.
Other prior art designs, including that of noted EP 1 291 636A2, have a fluid medium flow in all compass directions (N-S-E-W) within the same plane. However, this fluid medium flow takes place, not within the substrate, but rather in a further plane located below the substrate plane. Thus, in terms of function, a fluid medium first flows through the substrate, then downwardly to a second plane below the substrate plane, then flows directionally (N-S-E-W) to a further location within this second plane which is contiguous or adjacent, but below, the substrate plane, and finally flows back upwardly into a substrate.
Both types of directional change of flow require twice the typical number of components and related bolting (along with welding) as compared to that of the present invention.
Thus, the currently available prior art surface-mount systems have a plurality of shortcomings, including that most installations are one-of-a-kind and require only a few of the same type of sampling or analysis systems, so that most of these installations are of the custom or semi-custom type. Such systems typically involve a large number of components and/or expensive custom machining thereof as well as high assembly/installation costs. Generally, the design procedures are also complex.
There remains an unfulfilled need for improved fluid-flow systems that overcome the stated remaining problems. The present invention fills these needs in addition to providing the additional advantages set forth hereinafter.